The cruelest of cuts

I was diagnosed with severe haemophilia, a rare bleeding disorder, in 1972, aged just three years old. The lifespan of a haemophiliac in those days was not great; living to the age of 21 was considered lucky.

My days were taken up with long journeys to the hospital by ambulance to London. In addition to the internal bleeding, I also suffered from nosebleeds, which added another level of danger to my condition because when they started sometimes they didn’t stop. As I’d lie in the ambulance, my blood running everywhere, hovering in and out of consciousness, literally bleeding to death, I’d look up into my mother’s eyes, seeing her fear as she tried to keep me calm.

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About Attitude

On the cover, Adam Peaty, the first British Olympian to win gold at the Rio Olympics.
Plus: Amini Fonua, the Tongan swimmer who famously challenged a homophobic attack from the media at the Rio Olympics; an exclusive look behind the scenes at GCHQ and the new generation of gay men following in Alan Turing’s footsteps; ten years of queer Glastonbury with an exclusive look at the history of The NYC Downlow; and writer Juno Dawson on why she thinks lots of gay men are really trans women.